There will be great excitement in the Czech art world on Friday when Ai
Weiwei makes his first appearance in Prague. The world-famous Chinese
artist and activist will be in town to officially open an exhibition of his
Zodiac Heads at the Czech National Gallery, kicking off celebrations of its
220th anniversary. On the eve of Ai Weiwei’s visit, I asked the director
of the National Gallery, Jiří Fajt, what the presence of an artist of
such stature means to his institution.

Photo: CTK
“I think that it’s part of the new dramaturgy of the National Gallery.
Our dramaturgy should be more open, more international.

“And of course we are focusing on the personalities in the artistic
world that attract a certain attention and that haven’t so far been
presented in the Czech Republic.

“So I think this is a great occasion to introduce not only the public in
the Czech Republic but in the whole of Central Europe to someone like Ai
Weiwei, who really deserves our attention.”

Have you yourself had much interaction with Ai Weiwei? And has it been a
complicated process to secure his cooperation?

“I visited him for the first time last spring in Beijing. That was under
the regime where he wasn’t really a free person.

“At that time he didn’t have his passport and he didn’t know whether
the situation would be changed soon.

Ai Weiwei, photo: Hafenbar, CC BY-SA 2.0 de
“It was a great meeting at his house. He introduced us to his
cooperators. He showed us his very interesting collection of classical art,
objects of textile origin and so on.

“We actually discussed his way of perception of the world, of society,
and we stayed together the whole day.

“That was our first meeting and it was based on my close relationship
with our mutual friend Peter Pakesch from Austria, who helped me to contact
Ai Weiwei in person.

“And since the time he obtained his passport back I have visited him in
Berlin, in his studio and his apartment.

“Because I am actually living in Berlin as well – my family stayed
there [Fajt previously worked in Germany], so we are actually neighbours.

“We can reach each other in a couple of minutes, so it’s not so
complicated.”

I understand that Ai Weiwei is planning some kind of site specific work
for the National Gallery for next year. Will that be a bigger event than
the exhibition of the Zodiac Heads that’s now on?

“I think so. I would say that Ai Weiwei is watching his Zodiac Heads and
the presentation of the cycle in Prague as a sort of appetiser.

“We are really focusing ourselves on this larger project, which as you
mentioned will be site specific.

“It will be organised in the big hall of the Trade Fair Palace, which is
the place where the [Slavic Epic] cycle by Alphonse Mucha is now presented.

Photo: CTK
“So I am very much looking forward to this project. It will actually be
the first one to open the new dramaturgy of this large hall which will
become a central focus of the National Gallery’s dramaturgy in the
upcoming years.”

Ai Weiwei's Zodiac Heads will be on show in front of the Trade Fair
Palace, which houses the National Gallery's modern art collection, on
Prague's Dukelských hrdinů street until the end of August this year.